By JASON REYNOLDS

Remember the Goal is a Christian movie with valuable life lessons for parents, coaches, athletes and teenagers.

The movie is set at a Christian girls high school. It focuses on the new coach of the cross country team. The coach brings in some new ideas that shake up the team members and their parents. While the coach is earning the girls’ trust and coping with the parents, the girls are dealing with life issues such as drugs and self-esteem.

The movie is by Dave Christiano. He and his brother Rich created the movies The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry, Time Changer and A Matter of Faith, which was released in 2015.

I recently had the chance to interview Quinn Alexis, a Tennessee college student and actress who played Anna, one of the lead runners on the team in Remember the Goal.

Quinn said that each of the girls on the team has her own storyline. Her character must deal with one friend who smokes marijuana and another friend who must deal with the fact that Anna always is a little better at everything they do, such as running. Another character in the film, Rebecca, has a controlling mother who takes her frustrations out on her.

Quinn said that she was cast for the movie after submitting both an audition tape and a running tape. She is not a runner, but a friend who does run helped her.

Dave told me one of his goals with Remember the Goal was to make the cross country running scenes look authentic. He is a former cross country runner.

Quinn said Remember the Goal is an inspiring film because it can touch so many people. She appreciates that there are a variety of storylines that so many people can relate to. The movie glorifies God at a time when so many movies do not.

Quinn said she began acting when she was 10, in a church play. She enjoyed the backstage camraderie of the people she did plays with, and a passion for acting began. “God just started opening doors.” Quinn did dual enrollment for college when she was close to graduating from homeschool. She attends a community college and teaches acting now.

Followers of the Cross Entertainment - Girls Cross County Film Inspires Youths (10) (made with Spreaker)

Zak and Amy Huffman are an up-and-coming husband and wife duo performing Christian worship music under the name Love Displayed.

Forming the duo came “organically,” Zak said. He was saved at age 14 and “supernaturally” learned how to play music, he said. He has lead worship ever since. Amy, on the other hand, sang in church around age 3 or 4 and she was classically trained.

Once they were together, they led worship at whatever church they attended and began singing outside church.

“The Lord really has blessed Amy with the ability to write music, really good music,”he said. “We started actually making it a point to record music and writing music and did our first album. It kind of naturally progressed to calling us a band.” Their band was called Zak and Amy. They never set out to be “big.”

Zak had never considered himself to be musically inclined. He tried playing the trumpet. He tried out for choir. He asked for and received a keyboard at Christmas around age 14-15. He played the cheap keyboard around the house and impressed his relatives, after only two or three months.

So now, Amy writes the duo’s lyrics and Zak sings; he writes the music. Both play keyboard, and Amy does a little guitar work and plays flute. The keyboard is what they write all their music on.

Amy said her father and uncles were in a quartet when she was young. Her grandmother sang and played the piano. Music was forced on her; she did not know if she was called. When she was older she realized she wanted to do music and felt called.

The duo covered other people’s popular worship songs but decided they wanted to do their own music. 

Zak said the songs have the right depth (not too heavy or light).

The couple chose “You’re The Only One” as the debut single. Zak said it is the “most fun song. I love it. It’s a real catchy song.” The gist is that people will sometimes misunderstand you but the Lord knows our heart.

Amy: “All Power” is one of the most powerful songs on the album. The verses talk about all power and all peace come from God. The bridge of the song is powerful: it talks about how nothing comes from our ability, it comes from God and nothing we can do can accomplish anything.

The couple also is involved extensively in ministry through their organization, Spirit of Adoption Ministries. Their work has involves partnering with other ministries and ministering in various areas of the globe, from Gypsies in Europe to sex slaves in Nepal. They decided to give all proceeds from the album to Spirit of Adoption.

For more information: http://www.lovedisplayedmusic.com

Followers of the Cross Entertainment - Married duo display love for God, needy (made with Spreaker)

Robert Vera is an author who devotes a great deal of his time helping wounded soldiers. He was a friend of the late Ryan Job, a former Navy SEAL teammate of the late Chris Kyle.

Robert is the new, UNPAID executive director of the SPARTA PROJECT, a program that aims to help soldiers and first responders cope with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

SPARTA brings relief to veterans and first responders who are struggling with spiritual and moral wounds trauma, Robert said. That includes guilt and shame from war. He said he believes the spiritual and moral wounds are the most dangerous aspects of PTSD.

SPARTA uses clinical practitioners, headed by chaplains and other clinical experts. They explain to participants the effects of trauma on the brain: changes to the frontal lobe and other areas, which are predictable and which cause symptoms that are predictable. Then, they get into unpacking the spiritual and moral wounds associated with war, shame and guilt. Then they ask participants to use unpacking and leverage that experience to become greater than their past. 

“If you can think and act greater than your past, then you cannot become a victim of it.”

They can elevate themselves above the trauma. They can be better off than before their war experience, he said.

SPARTA has locations in Minnesota, California and Arizona. The group is about to make its second trip to Australia to treat special forces commandoes.

Robert is also concerned with the high suicide rate among veterans: on average, 22 per day. He said no pill can cure hopelessness, which is the root cause of suicide.

“Hopelessness is cured … by the right relationships in your life, coupled with the right information and the right perspective.”

SPARTA’s counselors who work in a secured location provide the right relationships. All the people there are motivated to give veterans and first responders the right resources.

Concerning Robert’s friend Ryan: He said he was grateful for becoming blind from his injuries in Iraq and for all the people he met afterwards. He knew his true friends were there for him vs. who was interested in him because he was a Navy SEAL. He knew he could handle being wounded and perhaps others on his SEAL team could not. He had no regrets.

My podcast has more information about Ryan. You can also read a previous story about Ryan.

Robert’s new book will tell the story of retired Navy SEAL Richard Peters, who is also a Christian. Peters has worked in dangerous parts of the world as a security contractor, and he was kidnapped in 2011 in Tripoli during the final season of Muammar Gaddafi’s reign. He was a fellow prisoner for a while of the late journalist James Foley. The men became friends and Peters led Foley to having faith in Christ while in prison.

The book will include such details as Peters’ miraculous escape from the Libyan prison where the men were held. The Holy Spirit told Peters to kick the metal door of his cell down in the prison, just prior to his scheduled hanging as an alleged spy. Despite his initial skepticism, Peters kicked the door down over the course of several hours.

Robert provides more details about Peters in my podcast. Be looking for this book possibly in 2017.

Followers of the Cross Entertainment - A passion for serving soldiers with PTSD

Award-winning documentary Patterns of Evidence showed stunning proof of how science proves the biblical accounts of the Exodus. Now, the documentary series continues with the next chapter, titled Young Explorers.

Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus won 13 awards. The sequel, Patterns of Evidence: Young Explorers, follows up the 2015 film by chronicling how 10 young people met the filmmaker, Timothy Mahoney, on a wilderness camping trip and learned about his investigation of Moses and the Hebrew Exodus out of Egypt.

By the end of the weekend, the campers want to join Mahoney on his quest. The campers are invited to read their Bibles before each adventure and look for clues in the text. Mahoney takes the campers into a virtual reality chamber to "explore" places and events mentioned in the Bible. They find a pattern of evidence that corresponds with the Exodus and the fall of Jericho.

I interviewed Mahoney (of Thinking Man Films) during the International Christian Retail Show in Cincinnati in June 2016 as he prepared to launch Young Explorers in the fall. He said his documentaries can dispell the teachings at universities that Exodus did not happen.

When he grew up people told him the stories of Exodus and other Old Testament accounts were not true. In 2001 he took a film crew to Egypt to find places where the Jews were supposed to have lived. People told him there was no evidence. That set off a crisis of faith.

That set Mahoney on a 12 year journey to study the Bible and find evidence, not necessarily in places where people said to look.

The Bible is being challenged more than ever. "The historical credibility of the Bible is, I think, the big question. ... There is evidence for the Bible. There is evidence for the Exodus. And there's a huge, powerful pattern of evidence."

Christianity is based upon a God who has intervened in the world throughout history, he said.

Apologetics film takes youths on faith quest.
    A still from the documentary film Patterns of Evidence: Young Explorers.

One piece of archeological evidence Mahoney mentioned is the biblical account of Rahab, a prostitute who lived in Jericho. Her house was built into the city's wall, the wall which fell during the city's conquest — except for Rahab's home. A portion of that city's walls stands to this day.

For more information about archeology and evidence that matches the Bible, go  to patternsofevidence.com and sign up for "Thinker Updates."

If you are interested in viewing Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus, it is available on DVD and Blu-ray at patternsofevidence.com. It features stunning animations and a cast including narrator Kevin Sorbo (God’s Not Dead, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys), interviews with leading archaeologists including Israel Finkelstein, Kent Weeks, and David Rohl, and guest appearances by Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Shimon Peres.

On Facebook, search for Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus.

--Jason Reynolds

Followers of the Cross Entertainment - Archaelogy documentaries point to evidence of Exodus

One author of preschoolers’ bedtime books is writing her titles based on her own experiences of getting her youngest son to bed.

Amy Parker has written and co-written more than 40 books for children, teens, and adults, with more than a million copies sold. Most of her writing is done for young children in the Christian market.

I interviewed Amy during the International Christian Retail Show where she was promoting her book “The Plans I Have For You.” This was my first time to meet Amy, who it turns out is my neighbor in Middle Tennessee — she virtually lives up the road from me.

Amy started off writing on the side. Her first authored book was “A Night Night Prayer.”

That book started a line of “Night Night” books which sturdy and padded. 

“Parents just seem to love them. And we all need resources for getting our kids to sleep at night. I was getting a wiggly red-head to sleep … a 3 year old.I had sung all the songs. And I had looked out the window and I had seen a tree swaying in the dark and I said, ‘Shh, the trees are sleeping.’ And that got his attention.”

After her son went to sleep, she wrote the verse that became the “Night Night” prayer. The books lead the parent and child through a list of objects and/or people or pets to to whom they can say “night night.”

“It’s a simple way for children to acclimate to the nighttime routine.”

The repetition and routine can help young kids gain reading confidence, she said.

“The Plans I Have For You” is a whimsical book based on Jeremiah 29:11. In the book, God speaks in a first person voice to the child and tells of the plans He has for him or her. That book came out last fall, and a board book version will come out in July 2016 for toddlers and preschoolers.

“Night Night Farm” is releasing in July 2016 as well, and Amy calls that “the cutest book.” Although Amy and her publisher had planned the book, her editor saw a cute YouTube video of goats wearing clothes and that started the illustrative ball rolling. “We have to have all of the animals in pajamas,” the editor said. The animals say good night in their “animal voices.” So very young children can learn animal sounds as a result.

She has collaborated with authors ranging from New York Times bestsellers to her very own son. Two of these collaborations, “Firebird” and “Courageous Teens,” are recipients of Christian Retailing's Best Awards. But Amy's greatest reward is being a wife to Daniel and a mom to their amazing sons, Michael and Ethan.

More information is at amyparkerbooks.com.
—Jason Reynolds

Followers of the Cross Entertainment - Night Night Stories for Kids

Zoro the drummer, or the minister of groove as he’s called, has played for the likes of Lenny Kravitz, Bobby Brown and Frankie Valli. Now, the minister of groove is stepping up his efforts to help people discover, develop and use their God-given gifts and talents.

That may seem like an odd thing for a drummer to focus on. But Zoro is not your average musician. He has been a teacher and motiviational speaker for years. Feeling led by God, he has condensed his lesson plans into a book titled “Soar!” The book, which will be available Sept. 1, 2016, is published by Emerge Publishing.

Over the years, Zoro has championed various causes. He’s a spokesperson for Compassion International and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, and he’s been honored at the nation’s capital for promoting responsible fatherhood and mentoring as part of the White House Fatherhood Champions of Change program, according to his website.

I interviewed Zoro during the International Christian Retail Show in June 2016. He is one of the most dynamic speakers I have run across in my years in journalism. I left my interview recharged despite having been on the run for several days.

Zoro said God gave him the vision to write Soar! and gave him the time to write it, after he had been teaching its principles for years. “These are the principles God showed me to soar with.” “Soar!” will help you discover your God-given talents and how to develop and deploy them. There are nine life-changing principles in the book.

It would be  mistake to say you do not have any God-given talents, Zoro told me. “Everybody on this planet has gifts and abilities. As a society, sometimes, unfortunately, we only view a talent as someone with an athletic talent. Or a writer. Everyone has something. It’s a question of discovering it and placing a value on it.”

Zoro said that while he is skilled in music, he is not skilled in math. “An accountant has a gift for numbers that a musician … doesn’t have. That talent is equally as important as my talent. It’s having something you do better than others. Everybody has that. When they discover it, it makes them come alive. It has nothing to do with money, it has nothing to do with fame or fortune.”

People often sense their gifts when they are young but become discouraged, sometimes by others, including those closest to them. “Hopefully later in life it will resurface,” he said. “You can’t let anyone stop you from that thing you feel called to.”

Soar! features the true story about actor/dancer Fred Astaire, whom Zoro called the greatest dancer of all time. During Astaire’s first screen test, the director said he could not sing or dance — and he was balding. Of course, Astaire became a huge celebrity. He had that director’s comments on paper and had it framed to hang on the wall to serve as a reminder.


We can’t choose what gifts we have, but we can choose how we develop the gifts we have, Zoro said. Not everything we do is visible to others, but God sees what we do.

“People put too much value on how many likes you’re getting on Facebook,” he said. “Be willing to make a difference with what God gave you.”

More information on Zoro International Ministries is at zoroministries.org. Look him up on Facebook as Zoro the drummer. He has motivational quotes on there. “Soar!” will be available on Amazon and from major bookstores.

Followers of the Cross Entertainment - Zoro discusses your God-given gifts

Podcast interviews with Christian musicians, authors, actors and other creative types. Lover of good writing, fresh coffee and fresh food.